Why Your Knee Hurts (and Why It’s Probably Not Your Knee’s Fault!)
Ever feel like your knee just doesn’t trust you anymore? One minute you’re running hills around Lake Minnetonka or crushing your WOD at the gym — and the next, your knee is barking like you’ve aged 40 years overnight.
Here’s the thing: your knee might not actually be the problem. It’s usually the victim of what’s happening above (the hip) or below (the ankle). At Minnesota Movement Chiropractic & Sports Rehab in Excelsior, we see this all the time — athletes, golfers, runners, and weekend warriors dealing with stubborn knee pain that keeps coming back no matter how much they stretch, foam roll, or ice it.
If that sounds familiar, you’re in the right place. We’ll help you figure out why your knee’s angry, fix the real cause, and get you back to doing what you love — pain-free and stronger than before.
(Spoiler: your knee will thank you, and so will your squat form.)
Dr. Reid always says, “the knee is the dumbest joint in the body.” And he’s not wrong. The knee only really has one job — to bend and straighten. That’s it. Roughly 95% of the knee’s total motion is biased into pure flexion and extension. But when your knee starts twisting, shifting, or doing anything other than flexion and extension, that’s when the trouble tends to start.
Here’s the deal — the knee usually isn’t the root problem. It’s often caught in the middle, compensating for something your hip or ankle isn’t doing right. That’s why at Minnesota Movement Chiropractic & Sports Rehab, we don’t just chase the pain. We dig deeper to figure out why your knee is irritated in the first place. Fix that - and then get you moving pain-free (and stronger than before). RESULTS. Not just relief.
Common Knee Injuries We Treat
Whether you’re a weekend warrior, CrossFit athlete, or a marathon runner around the Lake Minnetonka or Western Twin Cities Area, we see knee injuries of all kinds — from minor irritation to full-blown post-surgical recovery.
Most common knee conditions we treat include:
Runner’s Knee (Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome)
Jumper’s Knee (Patellar Tendinitis)
Knee Strains and Sprains
MCL & ACL Injuries (including post-surgical rehab)
Meniscus Tears and Post-Meniscectomy Recovery
Bursitis or Swelling behind the Knee (Baker’s Cyst)
Osteoarthritis or Early Degenerative Changes
(Pro tip: many of these issues start from faulty movement patterns, not the knee itself.)
Common Causes of Knee Pain
If we take the obvious traumatic event off the list, we usually see knee pain result from:
Overuse and repetitive strain (like running hills or heavy squatting)
Poor hip or ankle mobility
Weak glutes or quadriceps imbalances
Previous injuries that never fully healed or movement habits compensated from
Poor footwear or over-training on uneven surfaces without the necessary stability of the foot
Chiropractic & Rehab Treatments for Knee Pain
Our approach is simple — fix the cause, not just the symptom.
Here’s how we do it:
Chiropractic Adjustments to the hip, knee, ankle, and spine when warranted to restore movement and balance.
Functional Dry Needling to speed up the healing process and restore muscle balance (tightness/weakness)
Active Release Technique (ART) and Manual Muscle Therapy to release tight muscles and adhesions.
Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) for tissue healing.
Kinesiology Taping with RockTape to reduce inflammation and improve muscle activation patterns.
Functional Rehab and Corrective Exercises to retrain movement patterns.
Return-to-Sport Programming to rebuild strength and confidence after injury as well as prevent future re-injury.
(For post-surgical ACL or meniscus cases, our chiropractic rehab care complements your physical therapy — helping bridge that crucial gap between the PT’s “cleared for activity” and the “back to full performance” that we really care about.)
Recovery Time and What to Expect
Mild Strains or Overuse Injuries: 2–4 weeks of consistent care and rehab.
Tendinitis or Jumper’s Knee: 4–8 weeks with progressive loading and mobility work.
Ligament or Meniscus Injuries: 3–6 months post-surgery for full return to sport readiness.
Every case is different, but with proper care, most athletes start noticing major improvements within just a few visits.
Patient Success Story:
“The care at Minnesota Movement Sports Chiropractic was an integral part of my care leading up to a big race - Ragnar! I’ve had a couple knee surgeries and their treatment and PT plans had me running without any issues! I was surprised (yet happy!) that they took the time to actually listen to my whole story - becuase that’s how we figured out that most of the issue was actually in my hip mechanics.”
— Becka L., Excelsior MN
Take Your Next Step..
If your knee pain has been holding you back — whether it’s from training, running, or just daily life — don’t wait for it to “go away on its own.” Trust us, it rarely does!
📞 Call us at (651) 447-8898
👉 Schedule your evaluation today at 261 School Ave. Suite #310 — proudly serving Excelsior, Lake Minnetonka, Chanhassen, Minnetrista, and Wayzata.
We’ll figure out why your knee is hurting, fix it, and teach you how to keep it that way.